Lifetime award for ‘Madam Torti’

In March 2016 a Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Dr Jeanne A. Mortimer by the International Sea Turtle Society (ISTS) at its 36th annual symposium, which was held in Lima, Peru. Dr Mortimer has been dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles for four decades and is best known for her work in the Seychelles, where she is known as ‘Madame Torti’.

Instrumental in establishing turtle-monitoring projects at dozens of beaches and islands throughout the country, Dr Mortimer also helped to create the Turtle Action Group of Seychelles (TAGS), a network that standardises protocols, shares information and collaborates in turtle and tortoise conservation. She has been active in the Seychelles for more than 30 years and has seen the small island nation become a global leader in environmental conservation. ‘I am proud of the Seychelles and of my own small contribution to helping it to achieve this success,’ she says. ‘Now is an exciting time to be a conservationist working in this pioneering country and I am delighted to be part of this remarkable ongoing process.’